37 Students Sickened At U-M Sorority House

Related Tags:

Health officials are investigating whether a norovirus may have made 37 women sick at a University of Michigan sorority house.

Firefighters were called to Delta Delta Delta on Tappan Ave. after people at the house reported nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. Three people were taken to the hospital, according to Assistant Ann Arbor Fire Chief Greg Hollingsworth.

Firefighters checked to see if carbon monoxide could have made the women sick, but no issues were found.
All the women that were ill had eaten together that evening. Washtenaw County Public Health is now investigating.

Health workers plan to get the names of those who were sick and those who were not, to find out what the ill may have in common, and what they ate for a few days leading up to the outbreak. More testing will be needed to confirm or rule out norovirus.

According to Washtenaw County Health Supervisor Kristen Schweighoefer, norovirus is often spread by eating food prepared by or handled by another ill person. It is highly contagious and does cause symptoms like those reported by the U-M student.

Learn more about norovirus from the Center for Disease Control at this link.